The present application relates to a method and structure for utilizing co-products of alcohol production. It finds particular applications in the field of making use of co-products of alcohol production from grains.
This application is related to the area of co-produced material utilization in alcohol production and provides a method for comprehensively making use of co-products of alcohol production from grains. This application can be used in association with co-product materials from various types of alcohol production, including, but not limited to, liquor, wine, rice wine, beer, and ethanol.
Depending on different processing procedures, a variety of co-products can be produced from alcohol production from grains. These co-products include, but are not limited to, whole stillage, thin stillage, wet distiller's grains (WDG), dry distiller's grains (DDG), syrup, wet distiller's grains and solubles (WDGS), dry distiller's grains and solubles (DDGS), condensed distiller's solubles (CDS). It will be appreciated that, as used herein, the term DGS (distiller's grains with solubles) may be used to represent the various co-products mentioned above. DGS also covers all other generally used terms for alcohol production industry, such as spent grains.
DGS, especially the ones with low protein and lipid contents, may be a potential source of pollution, if not treated appropriately. For example, WDG, due to its high moisture content, may have a life time of as short as four to five days and can easily spoil and release hazardous substances.
Currently a typical use of DGS is as animal feed. However, without concentration or removal of other non-protein portions, the typical protein content of DGS may be relatively low. In an example, the protein content in DGS may be less than or equal to about 30%. In another example, the DGS protein content may be less than or equal to about 20% from certain liquor production processes. Also, additional amino acids may need to be added if such DGS is used as animal feed. In some examples, high protein and high amino acid containing animal feed has a higher value than normal or low protein animal feed. In this way, as protein and/or amino acid concentrations increase within the animal feed, the price of the animal feed may likewise increase.
In addition, using the co-products only as animal feed has the drawback of being susceptible to market fluctuation. For example, making renewable energy or other products (e.g. biogas/bio-oil/algae) from these alcohol production co-products may potentially generate more revenue, save cost, and/or generate economic feasibility for the producer.